OPSO President Val French

Learn more about Val here

About OPSO

OPSO is an independent, free-spirited group with the experience, knowledge and qualifications to speak out on older people’s issues without fear or favour.

Our members include qualified people from various professions. We share our professionalism with others to help them to acquire the skills which will empower them.

In this way we promote healthy ageing.

We promote the previously unrecognised contribution older people make to the stability of society.

We achieve our goals by …

• Providing the opportunities for people to be heard by stakeholders in government, business and the professions.
• Encouraging members of the media to portray older people as contributing individuals rather than outdated stereotypes.
• Helping businesses focus on the real needs of the older market.
• Reaching out to people in rural and remote areas to ensure their voice is heard.
• Keeping lines of communication with younger people open for our mutual benefit.
• Teaching people to write and to speak with vitality and assurance.
• Demonstrating how to bring about positive changes within the community.

We provide …

• Face-to-face classes in updating driving practices.
  Discussions and lectures to schools and tertiary students.
  Seminars and advice to business and government departments.
  Speakouts with the community and the stake holders.
  Guest speakers.
  Media awards.
  Grass roots research.

Click here for a short history of OPSO.

---

The Forum

One of the successful outcomes of the International Year of Older Persons is the recognition of OPSO's role in promoting older people's concerns and solutions - and their triumphs.
OPSO' Consultative and Research Forum members are a broad representation of well known older people, appointed because of the depth of their experience and knowledge.

What we do:

• Consulting
• Research
• Education
• Public speaking
• Advocacy
• Lecturing
• Media

• Research
• Education
• Public Speaking
• Advocacy
• Lecturing
• Media

Isobel ‘Pixie’ Annat OBE, OAM

From 1965 she was matron and then from 1978 until 1992 the CEO of St Andrew’s Hospital. From 1992 she has held and continues to hold various directorships: Tri-Care; Anglicare Mission; on the executive committee for management of St Luke’s Nursing Service; and other roles. She is a surveyor for retirement village accreditation.

Aside from the 20 or so committees, such as The Lady Musgrave Trust for young women and the Centaur Memorial Fund for Nurses, Pixie is actively engaged in the Liberal Party, OPSO and Zonta.

Ilma Ferguson, emeritus vice-president

Ilma was born in Emerald, but describes herself as a cosmopolitan girl at heart. She was a teacher, then teacher librarian, and became an editor for the Department of Education. She was one of the original members of Women’s Radio, broadcasting on 4EB, and later 4RPH, and convened the first national Women in the Media Conference.

As the foundation vice-president of OPSO, she is our editor, and one of the instructors for workshops on all communication courses. She organises out Speakouts, and is one of the organisers and judges of the media awards.

Since our inception she has traveled the state with the OPSO teams to find the needs and solutions to the problems of different communities, and takes a major role in our report writing.

She says she has not yet established a rapport with things like computers.

Alan Hales

Alan hailed from Sydney many years ago, and has had a lifelong career in advertising and marketing, both in Australia and overseas. A man of endless energy, he is both a senior advisor and vice–president of OPSO.

Insightful and caring, he lends a hand to organisations associated with us in developing media, marketing and political campaigns. These help get the various messages of needs and solutions across to government and consumers.

He is also continuing his very successful professional career, at present in the retirement village area.

Maida Lilley

Maida is president of the Retired Teachers’ Association and a former board member of National Seniors and zone chair. She is on numerous medical advisory committees as a senior consumer representative.

As an educator she worked in four Australian states and three countries from kindergarten to graduate levels. She has developed curricula and texts, and studied both at Australian universities and at Harvard University.

She is a tireless worker for older people and their issues. She has been recognised for all her work with a Centenary Medal, and was also a Centenary Local Hero.

Tony Townsend

Tony was born in Kenya, joined the Royal Navy in 1954, transferred to the Royal Australian Navy in 1968, and after 35 fun-filled years during which he found time to marry Anne and have two children, he swallowed the anchor in Brisbane in 1989.

Retirement meant starting his own small business, working with the Scout movement and the Australia Day Council in Brisbane where he was chairman for several years, active membership of the Samford Rural Fire Brigade and working on his 12-acre property at Mount Nebo.

More recently, he joined OPSO in 2000, moved to New Farm in 2005 where he is president of the National Seniors Branch, now drives a limo part-time and most importantly he and Anne celebrated the birth of their first grandson in mid-2006. Life is for living and enjoying.